The rivalry continues tonight. Washington. Pittsburgh. Let’s look at tonight’s NHL playoff predictions.
| Capitals vs Penguins ML +105 / -125 O/U 5.5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
The Pittsburgh Penguins took a chance in Game 5 by dressing both Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary after suffering concussions in Game 3. If it were January, management would take the proper course of action and sit the two of them out. But modern medicine be damned, they suited up for Game 5 in Washington.
Pittsburgh started off strong, as Carl Hagelin netted the game’s first goal. Braden Holtby got a big piece of Hagelin’s wrist shot but could not prevent it from crossing the line. As time wound down in a high-octane first period, Andre Burakovsky buried a lethal wrist shot off a gorgeous toe drag to even up the score. Burakovsky spent the night on the top line, but former linemate Lars Eller got the secondary assist on the goal.
The lone goal of the second period would be scored by Phil Kessel. With Nate Schmidt in the penalty box for holding, the Pens went to work. With crisp tic-tac-toe passing from the hashmarks and within, Kessel scored on a point-blank one-timer to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead that would last until the third period.
Washington was 20 minutes from elimination despite outshooting Pittsburgh 18-10. Story of the series.
Nick Backstrom and Andre Burakovsky went coast to coast to tie things up early in the final frame. From there on out, the ice was tilted. Even though shots were 14-12 in favor of Washington, relatively even, the Capitals beat the Penguins at their own game- getting high-danger looks.
Before long, Evgeny Kuznetsov put the Caps on top. A failed one-timer caused Marc-Andre Fleury to be out of position, and Kuznetsov had an open net from a sharp angle.
Less than 30 seconds later, Alex Ovechkin sheathed the dagger in the Penguins’ heart. Ovi carried the puck from the red line on into the zone and had his initial shot blocked by Ron Hainsey. He collected his own rebound without breaking stride, found open space and picked a corner. Boom.
Pittsburgh would not really get any good looks for the remainder of the game.
Bring on Game 6. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/iAfIcgSFdd
— NHL (@NHL) May 7, 2017
Washington took advantage of the Pens’ attack being not quite all there and threw their game right back at them. They were lethal on the rush and carried the puck into the zone with authority. The Penguins pushed for five games. Washington finally pushed back.
In fact, this was the first time all postseason that the Washington Capitals bested their opponent in high-danger goals for, according to NaturalStatTrick.
Even though he had a secondary assist and three shots, Sidney Crosby just did not look like himself. Conor Sheary was a non-factor. Playing them was a dangerous gamble that did not pay off in the end. These things don’t just magically get better in a day or two. It is not the common cold.
But even with their best player and one of their most important depth forwards playing with a concussion, the Penguins were still 20 minutes from clinching the series, on the road no less.
Where they fell short was on their blueline. Olli Maatta shouldered the entire offensive burden in the game, and Brian Dumoulin was the only other defenseman who even got a shot on goal. Justin Schultz, leader among defensemen in time on the powerplay at 2:17, did not register a shot.
There’s word out of Pittsburgh that Mike Sullivan may be looking to juggle some of the defensive pairings to try and keep up with Washington.
Washington gave Pittsburgh less chances on the man advantage as well. The Penguins only had two powerplay opportunities. Pittsburgh capitalized on the second. The Capitals did not take a penalty in the final 35 minutes of play, which is not only impressive but also integral to their success.
Andre Burakovsky took the place of Alex Ovechkin on the top line in an attempt to balance out the scoring. The lineup move worked to perfection. Burakovsky played one heck of a game and Ovechkin scored with linemate Lars Eller getting the primary helper. The move did exactly what it was supposed to do. Kudos to Barry Trotz for knowing his players.
I had said in my series preview that the Pittsburgh Penguins would be perfect on their home ice. Pittsburgh did lose Game 3 in overtime, squandering what would have been one of the most devastating comebacks in the long history of this rivalry.
Granted, I did not expect this series to even reach Game 6 nor did I expect Sidney Crosby AND Conor Sheary to be dealing with injuries that could potentially hinder their play for the rest of the series.
With that said, having Crosby and Sheary back in the lineup so soon is either flaunting conventional medical wisdom or perhaps a good thing for the Penguins’ chances. Let’s face it, a lineup with Sidney Crosby is a lineup with Sidney Crosby.
Plus, let’s not forget how last season’s playoff series between Pittsburgh and Washington ended. For those who don’t remember, the Pittsburgh Penguins were heading home for a Game 6 to end the series.
And this happened.
Pittsburgh still has every reason to feel confidence heading into this game. But the pressure is on them to close the Capitals out. Now that Washington has decisively won a game on their home ice, a Game 7 in Washington is hardly an optimal thing for the Penguins. There is a reason that Pittsburgh has been near-unbeatable this season in their own building.
It’s time to go back to that well and end things in their arena.
The Capitals have lost seven of their last eight in Pittsburgh. The home team is 10-3 in their last 13 encounters. Those three losses? Games 1 through 3 of this series.
The Pens were 3-0 against the Capitals in last year’s series. They were 9-4 on home ice total last postseason, and are 5-1 this year. The point is, Pittsburgh is not exactly a fun place to play for opponents.
I still believe the Penguins will win this series. But with the slightest bit of trepidation, I say it has to happen tonight to happen at all.
Prediction: Take the Penguins to win. Play the over.
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